Blog - summer dress

Do you remember when you fell in love with
fashion? It can be difficult for some of us to think back so far. It seems as
if one day your parents were dressing you, and the next - poof! - you're
picking out your own clothes.

When was that moment that you first learned to
put an outfit together? And did your parents' fashion sense influence yours?
Inevitably, the clothes in which we dress say something about us - they define
personality and express creativity. So surely, like our parents had an
influence on our life, they also had an influence on our clothes (whether you
agree with mom's high-waisted jeans or not).

So for this little introduction, I tried to
think back and remember the first outfit I chose for myself.

It turns out that one of my earliest memories
is playing dress-up in my mother's closet. It was a magical place: scarves,
dresses, high heels, glittering evening gowns and sophisticated daytime suits a
laGrace Kelly.

I would waddle out of her bedroom in heels that
swallowed my petite feet, draped in a dress that dragged along the floor,
collecting dust several feet behind me. I frosted myself with jewels pilfered
from the hand-carved box on her vanity.

To that little girl, her mother was a style
icon. Everything she had seemed so regal, so valuable.

To that mother, her daughter was a liability.
She decided it was time to take me shopping so I could play dress-up with my
own clothes.

It was so exciting - I still remember the
feeling of walking to the store, hand-in-hand with my mother, blabbering
non-stop about the clothes I was going to pick our for myself. I made myself
quite the whimsical little list. Specifically, I wanted a ball gown, stiletto
heels, and a riding outfit (I did not have a horse, nor did I know how to ride
one).

It was silly, but surely every little girl
remembers that first time that they got to pick out their own clothes. Finally,
I could express myself; my body was my canvas and the fabric, art.

I did not get that ball gown but I did come
home from my first shopping trip incredibly exhilarated. And here, I'll let you
in on a little truth: In reality, I don't remember what I picked out for
myself.

What I do recall is that fanciful feeling I had
when I strutted out of the dressing room like I was on a catwalk. I did my best
runway sashay to the sound of my mother's applause.

I remember trying on hair accessories and my
mother helping me perfect hairstyles in the mirror.

And I remember my mom handing me her credit
card when it came time to pay so I could hand it to the cashier myself and feel
like a grown up.

Isn't it funny? I don't remember thesummer dressI
tried on that day or the pants that my mom purchased for me, but I know how
they made me feel. I can envision the wonderful, lovely time I had with my mom.
I remember feeling confident and creative. I remember feeling so proud when she
said to me that I was turning into a lovely young lady. And I remember that,
that day, we were just two girls, playing dress-up in a big closet.